Technology
Up to the (biggest) challenges
Reckmann is constantly refining and developing its headsail, code sail and mainsail furling systems, keeping pace with changes in the types of boat that its customers want to sail
Reckmann is best known these days as a market leader in sail-furling solutions for superyachts but they also produce headsail, code sail and mainsail furling systems in standard sizes for 15m to 25m yachts. What these standard furlers and the much larger custom units have in common is the same impeccable engineering – and thus the same rock-solid reliability for which Reckmann has always been renowned. ‘In the old days we made furling
gear for boats from 30ft upwards,’ Reckmann CEO Marcus Schuldt recalls. ‘And when a couple went off cruising they had a 35-footer or a 40-footer. Now they tend to start with at least a 50-footer, quite often a 60-footer and sometimes even a 70-footer as their first cruising yacht. The efficiency of modern sail-handling systems allows them to manage a much bigger boat, provided they know how to operate the systems. Two people can sail a 70-footer no problem these days, just pushing buttons, but you still need to know what you’re doing.’ The larger the boat and the
smaller the crew, the more crucial the quality of the sail-handling hardware. Reckmann has supplied leading builders such as Nautor, Baltic, Oyster, Contest, Solaris, Grand Soleil and Y Yachts with furling and reefing gears for their blue water-oriented boats. Furling and reefing functionality
is arguably even more important on a large cruising catamaran, which
60 SEAHORSE
can’t safely spill wind by heeling over and is thus at risk of rig breakage or worse, capsize, when a sail-handling system malfunctions in strong winds. ‘We have already supplied furling gear for some big Lagoons, as well as custom catamarans like the new 46m Art Explorer for example and the demand from large cats is increasing,’ Schuldt says. ‘We don’t make special systems for multihulls; the only difference is that for sure you have higher loads.’ Reckmann’s core products have
evolved with the changing size and type of boats that its customers sail. One upcoming product launch is a new design within the CZ range of code sail furlers, with an angled drive. It’s designed to be mounted either on the bow or inside almost any type of bowsprit. Electric and hydraulic versions are available in four standard sizes with working loads from four tons up to 16 tons. ‘These compact units can be
equipped with our new TST (tack swivel toggle) for top-down furling,’ Schuldt says. ‘Nautor will be using them and some others as well. The great advantage is that the forestay is on the same axis as the rotation axis of the system. The stainless steel design of the system prevents any corrosion at this exposed installation point.’ Another recent development
is a chainplate attachment for Reckmann’s under-deck headsail furling gears. ‘We have two sizes, UD2-CDF and UD3-CDF in hydraulic
Above:
Reckmann is about to launch a new design within its CZ range of code sail furlers, with an angled drive. Electric and hydraulic versions are available with working loads from four to 16 tons
and electric versions,’ he says. ‘The advantage is that we can use the deck fitting of our manual furler and have a chainplate attachment below deck. This means that the forestay load is not taken by the deck fitting but by the chainplate. It occupies the same space and you don’t need to make any changes in the boat.’ The chainplate attachment is a
big benefit for boatbuilders, he explains, because it avoids the usual need to strongly reinforce the foredeck around the furling unit, which adds a considerable amount of weight – and pitching moment – as well as the extra cost of materials and labour. Another advantage, especially for performance-oriented boats with narrow bows, is that units have no exterior moving parts under the deck so can be fitted more snugly into the bow. They are already being fitted on Swan 55s and 58s, and the Solaris 60s. Load-sharing code sails and headsails are now putting much higher loads on some rigging and deck hardware components. Reckmann’s chainplate attachment solution has come at exactly the right time to enable boatbuilders to strengthen their foresail tack attachments without making major structural modifications. ‘For sure, cunningham function
is becoming more important,’ Schuldt says. ‘If you have the sail on a halyard lock, you need a device to adjust the luff tension.’ Hence the tack swivel slider, originally
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